


Hitsuzen

by bluesfortheredj



Category: Gwilym Lee - Fandom, Midsomer Murders
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Midsomer Murders - Freeform, charlie nelson - Freeform, charlie nelson/reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24238837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesfortheredj/pseuds/bluesfortheredj
Summary: Hitsuzen - A naturally foreordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible.
Relationships: Charlie Nelson/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

Midsomer county had everything you needed; peaceful scenery, a friendly, tight knit community who couldn’t do enough for their neighbours, a reliable childminder, and a secure job for you alongside one of the people you trusted most in this world. Sarah Barnaby was a family friend who was more like an aunt to you and after all that had happened in your life over the past 18 months, you snapped up the opportunity to move schools and make a new start with her, John and Betty supporting you every step of the way. You’d moved in to a lovely little cottage a matter of minutes away from Sarah and you couldn’t be happier with the place, the thin strands of ivy that creep up around the bricks adding a dash of colour to usually bland looking exterior, and the small garden perfectly sized for you and your little one Evelyn to play in.

“Now you be a good girl and mummy will see you later,” you grin as you hand Evelyn over to Mary the childminder on your way to work, “have fun with Betty!”

You pepper kisses on her chubby cheeks and she giggles as her tiny fingers reach out to your face, then you give a wave to Betty who’s standing next to Mary’s leg, and leave for the school. Sarah had kindly given you a heads up that her school was in need of a technician to help with the GCSE textiles class, and you jumped at the chance, luckily getting the job a couple of weeks later. It was perfect really as Betty and Evelyn were both one and they could play together at the childminder’s during the day, and Sarah could keep an eye on you at work, making sure you were settling in nicely and not being too overwhelmed. It had all seemed to happen right when you needed it after living with the effects of an accident that had drastically changed yours and Evelyn’s lives.

“Morning (Y/N)!” Sarah beams as you get out of your car when you arrive at Causton Comprehensive.

“Good morning Sarah,” you smile, locking your car as you walk towards her for a warm hug.

“Coming in for some coffee?” she asks.

“I’ll just have a crafty cig then I’ll be right in.”

“How’s quitting going?”

“I’m down to two a day now and only at work, so it shouldn’t be long until I’m off them completely!”

“That’s really great news,” she grins, ever the worrier.

She heads towards the entrance to the school while you divert off to the side where there was a smoking shelter which was meant to be for the teachers only, but of course some of the older students took to using it as well during lunch break alone thankfully. It was a lovely school to work in and being able to do something that used what you’d actually studied for at university was a huge bonus. You’d been part of the art department at your previous school, but your true skills always lay within textiles and fashion, so being a technician to the people who had chosen to be on the course always paid off when you managed to help someone create something they’d been struggling with, and the end of year show was something you were itching to be a part of.

It had been winter when you’d moved down to Causton and spring had now well and truly set in, making everything around you that bit more beautiful in the crisp sunlight, even the football field behind the school was looking especially pretty this morning with the dew cover grass being illuminated by the orange and pink sky above. You finish your cigarette quickly then head inside to the warm staff room where the smell of coffee hits you as soon as you open the door, and everyone it crowded around a fresh packet of biscuits on the table. You’re greeted warmly by everyone as always then Sarah hands you a mug of steaming coffee and nods towards the sweet treats before they’re scoffed by everyone else, so you quickly step in to take one then resume your position just outside of the circle. You were unsure as to whether Sarah had told anyone of your situation or if they were always this friendly, but whatever it was you knew that this was a place you wanted to stay.

“Good morning!” Adam sings as he enters the room.

You can’t help but smile at his relentless cheer this early in the morning and he shoots a wink your way as he passes by. Adam was the teacher you worked alongside day in, day out, and he was the type of person who you would never have guessed taught textiles at GCSE level to be honest; he wore almost the same shirt and knitted vest combination every day with only very subtle variations in pattern, he was in his mid thirties so only around five years older than you, he had divorced from his wife after finding out she was having an affair with her boss, and he had a kind face with thick black hair that was always the right side of messy. He was such a lovely man, someone who was always there when you needed to vent, and he was quiet yet stern, so the students could have a laugh with him but knew that they couldn’t take it too far when it came to chatting amongst themselves.

“I got you another biscuit,” he grins as he comes to stand next to you, “you only ever take one and you should always take an even number from the pack.”

“Thank you,” you chuckle, popping it in your mouth.

“Well I’d better be getting to my office,” Sarah sighs, “have a good day everyone!”

“How’s my favourite girl today?” Adam asks.

“Evelyn is fine thank you, I actually had to wake her up this morning so I think that she was finally catching up on the sleep she missed out on the other night!”

“Aww, good to hear,” he smiles, “and how are you?”

“Better,” you nod before taking a sip of coffee, “and you?”

“That’s really great (Y/N),” he says as he rubs your back, “I’m all good! Right, you ready to face those nutters?”

“Absolutely!” you exclaim.

The mid week slump must have been getting to a few students today as the classroom was suspiciously quiet as the kids got on with their themes for the end of year show, but Adam soon gets them all involved in a group chat when he asks them each to call out their final decisions on a theme to the rest of the class. There’s light laughter that rolls out across the room at some of the ideas, but it’s all in good cheer and everyone leaves the first class a little more perky than when they entered thankfully, hopefully setting them up for the rest of their day. The next class is much the same and both you and Adam agree that Wednesday mornings were the equivalent to Sunday evenings; full of dread and fatigue for what was to come. Lunchtime soon comes around and by then you both need some fresh air to try and shake off your own tiredness that had somehow transferred from the pupils to you.

“I’m just popping out,” you say, waving around a single cigarette.

“Still just two?”

“Yep, it’ll be none in no time.”

“That’s what I like to hear!”

You head towards the exit while he continues to the staff room and you turn the corner to the smoking shelter to see a couple of students already standing there so you keep walking for a little bit towards the edge of the field and decide to light up at a safe distance from the pupils. Tall bushes give the school privacy from the road and as you pace the perimeter of them an object catches your eye as the sun reflects off of it, and as you get closer to the source you realise it’s a large signet ring. Taking one last puff of your cig you throw the stub to the ground and give it a stamp with your foot before stepping towards the piece of jewellery and squatting down to pick it up in case a student had lost it. Your hand reaches out towards the grass but as it nears the gold ring something makes you turn your head to the small gap underneath the bushes and that’s when you see a man as white as a sheet laying there with his eyes wide open. You stand up with a gasp and look around to make sure no students were nearby, then with shaking hands you slip your phone out of your pocket and phone Sarah.

“Hello,” she answers cheerily, “where are you?”

“Sarah… There’s a body in the bushes at the side of the school… I… We need to get the students inside.”

“Oh my god, I’ll phone John on my way down, stay where you are.”

It doesn’t take long for Sarah to reach you while the other teachers go around the outside areas to get the students back inside the building without raising too much suspicion about what was happening, and it’s only when she puts her arms around you that you realise you were quivering with shock.

“(Y/N), come and sit down,” Sarah says quietly, “police are on their way, John will be here soon okay?”

She guides you over to the smoking shelter where there was a bench you could perch on and sure enough the police arrive within a couple of minutes with John and another man heading straight for you both as soon as they park up. Sarah’s arms stay around your body as John sits the other side of you and the other man stands in front, all of them watching your still shaking body with sympathetic looks.

“(Y/N), can you tell me what happened?” John asks softly as you slowly lift your head to look at him.

You take a deep breath, “there’s a man over there,” you point towards the bushes, “I saw a ring on the ground and as I went to pick it up I saw him laying there… his eyes… they’re…” you gasp as you think about the frozen look on his face and John puts his hand over yours gently.

“Okay,” he sighs, “it’s alright. I’m going to leave DS Nelson here to sit with you, is that okay? I just need to talk to Sarah.”

You look from John to the tall man with a warm smile who stands in front of you and you nod in response as Sarah and John stand to let Nelson take a seat next to you. John directs the police officers to where you pointed and they set up a closed off area and put up a white tent to shield any on lookers from the body, then he takes Sarah to one side to talk as Nelson’s eyes stay fixed on your shaking hands that are clasped on your lap.

“I’m Charlie,” he says, trying to distract you from your terrified thoughts.

“I’m (Y/N),” you reply, unable to even turn to look at him.

“Is there anyone I can call for you?” he offers.

You gasp as you think of Evelyn, and suddenly you need to be with her, to cuddle her and inhale her familiar comforting scent, “Evelyn, I need to pick up Evelyn!”

Sarah looks around as she hears your daughter’s name then comes over and places her hand on your back, “I’m sure Charlie won’t mind taking you to pick up Evelyn, and then he can drop you at ours,” she smiles.

“Yours?” you question with a frown.

“Stay at ours tonight,” she nods, “you’ve had a shock. Charlie, will you sit with her until we get back? You can stay for dinner as well.”

“Of course Sarah, if (Y/N) doesn’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” you shrug, finally looking up at him properly and being taken aback by how bright the blue of his eyes were.

Sarah sighs happily then heads into the school ready to send the students home and Charlie directs you to his car where you both get in silently.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who’s Evelyn?”

“My daughter,” you smile, “she goes to the same childminder as Betty.”

“Ah! Do you need to let your husband know what’s going on?”

“I… There’s no one that I need to inform,” you reply.

Charlie nods then starts the car and soon enough your shock turns to calm in his presence.


	2. Chapter 2

You phone Sarah on the way to Mary’s to check that it’s okay to pick Betty up as well and take both kids back to theirs, then sit in the back of Charlie’s car cuddling the two little ones for the two minute drive to the Barnaby house. It was lucky you had a set of spare keys for each others houses, and Sarah was going to drop by yours to bring a set of clothing and pyjamas for you and Evelyn to stay the night. Charlie takes Betty from the back of the car and makes her giggle with a funny face as he follows you to the front door with your daughter snuggled into your neck as she hides from the strange man.

“Right, who would like juice and a biscuit?” you ask excitedly as you walk through the house to the kitchen.

“Me!” Charlie grins as the girls clap their hands together excitedly.

You laugh and shake your head at his amusing answer and Betty finds it particularly hilarious which in turn encourages Evelyn to finally lift her head properly and take a look at the funny man standing there who is waving a sweet hello to your girl.

“Evie, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Evie,” you say, now able to introduce them properly.

“Hello Evie,” he grins, “it’s very nice to meet you.”

Evie gives a shy wave at him then lets her forehead drop back onto your shoulder before she moves her head from side to side to let her dark hair fall around her cheeks and hide her face again, and her short arms reach around you as far as they can go.

“Oh bless her,” he chuckles, “I think mummy needs that cuddle right now!”

He was either naturally gifted when it came to kids or he had at least one of his own by the way he was holding and fussing with Betty then looking over to check if Evie had made another appearance from the safety of your neck, and his kind features already made you want to know more about him. You watch as he walks outside into the garden and sits Betty down at her little table ready for the promised snack and drink while Sykes suddenly appears from upstairs at the sound of the back door being open and he almost knocks him off his feet as he races past.

“Sykes!” Charlie laughs.

Evelyn lifts her head at the mention of Sykes and you know she’ll soon throw a strop if she doesn’t get to see the dog within the next few seconds, so you practically run out of the house and plop her down opposite Betty as Sykes now comes up to the table and sits with the girls as if waiting for his own snack. Both you and Charlie laugh at the sight then his phone rings and he takes a couple of steps away to answer the call but motions for you to get the girls’ drinks and biscuits as he keeps a careful eye on them both while they each stroke the dog.

“There you go,” you smile as you hand out their juices then place a saucer with two biscuits on between them, “and Sykes, I didn’t forget you!”

You slide a dog biscuit in front of him and he happily chomps down on it much to the girls’ amusement, and Charlie strolls back over to you with a solemn look on his face.

“Sorry,” he begins, “John’s asked me if I could get your statement while we’re here. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” you nod, “we can still see them from the dining table.”

The two of you step back inside the house as Charlie pulls a small notepad and pen from the inner pocket of his jacket then you both take a seat at the table where you can easily see the little ones from the corner of your eye.

He takes a deep breath before asking the first question, “what happened in the lead up to you finding the deceased?”

“I just went outside for a cigarette as usual at the beginning of lunch… I only ever have two a day now, never at home with Evelyn…” you frown to yourself at your random explanation that was totally unnecessary, “…um, then I walked away from the smoking shelter as there were a couple of the older students in there, so I just wander off on my own if it’s occupied, and then I was walking along by the bushes and something shiny caught my eye from the grass. I finished my cigarette and stubbed it out quite close to what I then recognised was a ring, then when I bent down to pick it up for some reason I looked towards the gap underneath the bushes and there he was.”

Charlie jots down everything you’ve just said but notices that you shudder at having to go over everything and he’s quick to put his pen down and place his hand on yours reassuringly.

“It’s okay,” he whispers, “you’re safe.”

No one had ever said that to you in such a sincere way since David had, and tears suddenly prick your eyes thanks to the roller coaster of emotions you had felt so far today. Before you can lift your hand to your face to wipe your tears Charlie is already sat next to you instead of opposite you, and one arm is draped along your shoulders while he places his free hand on top of your clasped ones tightly.

“I’m so sorry,” you manage to croak out.

“Don’t be! Let it out, it’s okay, I’m here.”

You turn your head to look at him as another stray tear falls down your cheek and all you want to do is wrap your arms around him while he mutters words of comfort against your hair; he exuded warmth, love, and safety. As if he can tell what you’re thinking he tentatively closes his arms around your upper body and your shaking hands glide around to his back where you cling onto his jacket tightly, his gaze firmly on the door to the garden as he keeps an eye on the kids.

“Is everything alright?” Sarah asks as she seemingly appears from nowhere; neither you nor Charlie hearing her and John enter the house.

“Sorry,” Charlie apologises as you break apart slowly, “sorry, I...”

“It’s my fault, I got a little emotional giving my statement,” you explain as you wipe away the damp from your face, “silly, really.”

“It’s not,” Charlie frowns, “not silly at all.”

John and Sarah look at one another then step into the garden to see the girls who are very excited by their arrival, and Charlie’s caring gaze turns nervous as his eyes alternate between yours and the table.

“Thank you,” you smile, tapping his hand gently.

You jump when your phone begins to ring in your pocket and when you pull it out to see Adam’s name you excuse yourself to answer it, but Charlie listens in as you step into the lounge.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” you say as Adam rambles on the other end, “stop worrying… no, I’m staying with John and Sarah tonight so there’s no need… yes, Evelyn’s fine, I picked her and Betty up with Charlie… he works with John, his official name is DS Nelson… yes, I’m in very safe hands, please don’t worry… okay, bye!”

You’re completely taken aback by the position that Charlie is in when you look at him still sitting at the table, and for a split second David’s face flashes up in your mind as you study how Charlie is sat; his head tilted ever so slightly to the left as he leans his cheek on the closed fist that’s supporting him, with his elbow up on the table while he writes a few more notes in his pad before he slips it back into his pocket with a smile directed right at you. You’d seen David sit like that so many times before as he marked work from the school, and he too always knew when you entered a room so he could pause and smile at you. It was strange as the thought doesn’t upset you in any way, in fact it only goes to confirm your original assessment of Charlie, and you’re surprised at how comforting that really is.

“He sounded worried,” Charlie comments.

“Everyone does when they talk to me,” you chuckle, and it’s not exactly a lie either.

“Why do they worry so much?” he asks with a furrowed brow, “you come across quite an independent person, and I admire how you’re bringing Evelyn up alone; I certainly wouldn’t cope with a kid on my own!”

“You would! You’re a complete natural! Betty’s adoration for you is very obvious, and I know she wouldn’t trust any other friends of John’s as much as she trusts you.”

Charlie smiles shyly at your compliment and dips his head down briefly before laying his eyes upon you again and waiting patiently for your answer to his question.

“Well, I think people worry about me because the past year and a half has been pretty… rocky. I needed a lot of help and I think people tend to forget that I do now have the strength to stand on my own two feet. Sarah and John are the only two people who believe that I think! It’s part of the reason I moved down here,” you explain, skirting around the major event carefully.

“I believe it too,” he replies sincerely.

“That’s nice to hear.”

“You’ve probably done more than your fair share of talking about what happened to you the last 18 months, but if you ever want someone else to share any thoughts or feelings with then I’m here,” he smiles, getting up from the table as John and Sarah return from the garden with the girls.

“Careful, I might take you up on that offer!”

“Ooh, what offer is that?” Sarah asks as she bounces Betty on her hip.

“Shouldn’t we get dinner started?” John interrupts before you or Charlie answer her, “I think (Y/N)’s had enough questioning for today.”

Sarah rolls her eyes and you laugh at her reaction, then John hands you Evie with a smile and nods for Charlie to follow him into the garden, leaving you girls to start the meal.

“How has she been?” John asks quietly as the two men take a slow stroll up the path.

“She’s been okay, had a little cry but apart from that she seems fine.”

“No mention of David?”

“The name David hasn’t come up,” he replies, shaking his head from side to side, “why, who’s David?”

John clears his throat then looks back to the house and lowers his voice as he speaks, “David was her boyfriend and Evie’s father, he was involved in a hit and run only a month or so before she was born. It was only around the corner from where they lived so (Y/N) got there before the ambulance after being alerted by a neighbour, but he was already gone. I didn’t know whether this might bring back those memories.”

Charlie gasps lightly at John’s honesty about everything then looks over his shoulder to see you and Sarah laughing in the kitchen as Evie and Betty play on the floor by the dining room table, and in no world would he have even begun to think that something so horrific had happened to you. From somewhere deep inside him the instinct to run towards you and envelop you into his arms kicks in, and even though his legs twitch he manages to resist the urge and turn his head back to John.

“Oh my god,” Charlie breathes.

“Hmm, she’s a strong woman to go through all that and not let it consume her… and she seems to like you.”

“What?”

“The hug. She’ll hug Sarah, she’ll hug Evie, she’ll even hug me sometimes, but anyone else, no matter how close she is to them, doesn’t get that treatment.”

“Oh.”

“You could at least come in and help set the table!” Sarah calls from the back door.

“Coming!” John waves.

The two men walk in and begin to arrange the plates and cutlery neatly on the table being careful to step around the girls playing on the floor still, but there’s a loud knock on the wall then a cry which begins almost instantaneously. Charlie rushes over to the girls being as he’s the nearest, fully expecting it to be Betty, but when he sees that Evie’s crying he quickly scoops her up and begins to soothe her. You take a couple of slow steps towards them in case Evelyn pushes him away and cries even harder but you stop when you realise that she’s got her little arms tightly hugging his neck as he pats her back gently and sways from side to side.

He suddenly looks to you and your stunned expression then apologises, “I’m sorry, do you-”

“No, no, looks like you’ve got it under control.”

“It’s okay Evie, it’s okay sweetheart, did the naughty block hit your head?” Charlie asks softly.

There’s a shallow nod from Evie then she lifts her head from his shoulder and sticks out her bottom lip as far as it will go as she brings one of her small hands up to where the playing block hit her, then when she moves her hand down Charlie instinctively kisses her head before she rests it once again on his shoulder.

“Shall we make the block go and sit in the garden because it’s been naughty?” he suggests, and Evie’s head nods fervently, her hair tickling his neck, “right, come on block,” he says sternly as he squats down to pick it up, “you’re going outside!”

You move to the back door as Charlie marches the block out to the garden and drops it on the grass while Evie watches with her cheek resting on his chest, then he has some very serious words with it which makes her giggle loudly and as they walk away he turns back for one last “and stay there!” before Betty breaks out in fits of laughter.

“Is that better?” he asks, and Evie grins up at him, “you know what makes things even better?” he pauses as she shakes her head, “hugs from mummy.”

He carefully hands her over to you after stepping inside the door and she takes her usual spot on your hip with her chunky little legs hooked around your waist, and Charlie has to be snapped out of the hypnotic nature of your eyes by John giving him a firm tap on the arm so they can finish laying the table. Maybe it wasn’t all just in your head and Evelyn could feel that Charlie was special too.


	3. Chapter 3

Any silences during dinner are mostly filled by John regaling you with humorous stories of when Charlie first moved to Midsomer and became a DS; the country ways going completely over his head as he was so used to being in the city, and the poor bloke spends much of the dinner with a rather red face at it all as he chooses to look down at his plate instead of across the table at you.

“Was I really that bad?” he questions once John is finally done with embarrassing him.

“Worse,” John nods, “I’m glad you’ve adjusted though. Hopefully means you’ll stick around.”

“I don’t plan on going anywhere,” he agrees, his gaze lingering on yours as he says it.

Evelyn’s almost falling asleep by the time dessert comes around so you head upstairs to the spare room with her and tuck her into the small fold out bed next to the one you’d be sleeping in tonight, then you sit cross legged on the floor and brush her hair back with your fingers as you tell her a story to make sure she gets off to sleep properly. Once you’re satisfied she’s drifted off you back out of the room and pull the door so that it’s just touching the edge of the door frame then you head towards the stairs to find Charlie walking up them.

“Hey,” he whispers with a smile, “did she go down alright?”

“Yeah, I think all the excitement of meeting someone new must have worn her out!”

“Bless her, she’s absolutely adorable. Sarah’s just dishing up pudding, I’ll be down in a second, just need to use the bathroom.”

“Charlie…?”

“Yeah?”

You open your mouth but you’re stuck on how to word what you want to say without sounding like a bit of a fool so you shake your head with a smile instead, “nothing, don’t worry.”

“How about you tell me later, before I go?” he suggests, needing to hear what you’ve got to say.

“Yeah, okay then.”

Back downstairs you tuck into the dessert quickly and Sarah laughs at how it disappears from the bowl almost before Charlie returns from the bathroom, and you feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment at being so hungry so decide to begin washing up for them to take yourself away from the table. John protests but you wave your hand dismissively and give him no other option as you begin to fill up the bowl much to his disdain, then as John and Sarah take Betty up to bed Charlie joins you in the kitchen, wiping up towel in hand.

“You don’t have to,” you smile as you dip your hands into the hot soapy water.

“I want to,” he replies, “anything to delay this evening ending too soon. How are you feeling now after giving your statement?”

“Better thanks, yeah. I’m really sorry about crying on you, I just got a little overwhelmed and then you said those words and whoosh, she’s off again!” you babble, gesturing softly with your hands so you didn’t splash water everywhere.

“Don’t ever be sorry for that. You have absolutely nothing to apologise for.”

“Hmm,” you hum in disagreement.

“What was it that you wanted to tell me earlier?” he asks, knowing that trying to convince you it was okay to cry would have him fighting a losing battle.

“I, er, just wanted to say thank you for making sure Evie was okay earlier. She’s very fussy when it comes to who picks her up and I was quite astounded when she didn’t push you away and throw a strop to be honest,” you chuckle.

“It was just instinct,” he shrugs, “I’m really glad she didn’t push me away! I would have felt awful if she had!”

“She…” you pause and take a deep breath as you slot a plate into the drying rack, “hasn’t ever had her dad around, so she’s very wary of men. But you… well, you’re different.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Charlie exhales as he picks up the plate and begins to wipe it with the cloth.

“Her dad died,” you blurt out as you carefully dip the wine glasses into the bowl and avoid his worried gaze, “he was killed before she was born. It’s why I moved here, we needed a fresh start and being so close to Sarah and John is perfect.”

“John told me,” Charlie admits, “when we were in the garden… I’m truly so sorry for your loss.”

You nod, still looking down at the white bubbles floating on the water rather than at him, then you pick up the sponge and begin to wipe around the glasses.

“I admire your strength,” he continues, watching your profile as your eyes stay fixed on the wine glass you’re lifting from the water, “I know I haven’t known you for long but, uh, I-”

“How are you two getting along in here then?” John asks as he enters the kitchen at completely the wrong time.

“Fine, yes,” Charlie nods, frantically picking up another plate to wipe.

“Good good! Who fancies some cheese and crackers?” he asks, heading towards the cupboard.

“Yes please!” you reply as you place the last glass on the draining rack for Charlie, “just going to check on Evie.”

You ascend the stairs slowly as your mind wanders with thoughts of what Charlie was going to say before you got interrupted, and you feel foolish as you let yourself think what it would have been like if he’d maybe asked you out for a drink. You’d only met the man earlier today and yet it felt as if you’d known each other for much longer, especially how Evelyn had acted around him, and there was this indisputable feeling in your stomach that let you know you could trust him.

“Hey,” Sarah smiles as she shuts the door to Betty’s room, “how are you doing?”

“I’m… I’m exhausted Sarah,” you sigh.

“Oh darling, come here,” she soothes, reaching her arms out towards you and bringing you in for a hug, “you’ve been through so much today, it’s no wonder you’re feeling like this.”

“That’s the thing,” you mumble before pulling away from her embrace, “it’s not even that. It’s Charlie… I’ve had a couple of weird moments with him today that so reminded me of David but for the first time since he passed, it didn’t make me sad or even yearn for him to be here; it was just… calming, and even more so because it’s Charlie… I don’t know. Maybe I’m being silly, and should I even be thinking this so soon after everything?”

Sarah’s eyes travel across your face as you stand before her, confused and tired, then she places her hands on your shoulders and her thumbs rub comforting circles on the fabric of your t-shirt as she smiles kindly when you meet her gaze.

“It’s been over a year and half now (Y/N),” she says softly, “some people find someone else within a few months and others don’t find that person for a few years; grief has no set timeline, so don’t feel as if you shouldn’t be thinking like this okay? If anything this is a positive moment and it shows just how much you’ve progressed since that day. I know Evie would agree with you as well… we were all shocked with how she reacted when Charlie picked her up! If you like him then don’t feel as though you have to push those feelings away, just go with it.”

“It’s silly though isn’t it? I’ve only known him for a few hours,” you scoff.

“It’s not silly at all,” she chuckles, “it was love at first sight for me with John! He was dressed as a mascot as well, so all I saw was his face… now _that’s_ silly.”

“A little,” you laugh, “thanks Sarah, how do you always know exactly what to say?”

“Years of practice!” she jokes, her eyes darting to the bottom of the stairs where Charlie now stands, looking up at you both, “how about I check on Evie… I think someone wants to speak to you.”

She turns you around to see Charlie’s smiling face as he stands on the bottom step, then he takes a couple more steps and clears his throat.

“Sorry, uh, John’s got the cheese board out,” he mumbles nervously, “and also… if it’s not too weird… would you like to come for a drink with me? One evening, I mean, not right now obviously. The cheese needs eating. But another night? If you’re not busy,” he rambles.

“I’d really like that,” you nod, “the drink… not the cheese… well, the cheese as well, but mostly the drink.”

Thank goodness you were both bumbling idiots.

“Great! That’s really great, how about tomorrow? That’s too soon isn’t it? Sorry, I-”

“Tomorrow’s perfect,” you chuckle.

“Sorry!” Sarah says from beside you, “this little one was wondering when mummy is coming to bed.”

Evie stands at Sarah’s leg with her hair in a mess and her little tired eyes looking up at you expectantly, and you squat down for her to toddle over to you then you scoop her up into a cuddle and bounce her gently,

“I’ll come now darling,” you say softly, “looks like the cheese and crackers weren’t meant to be! Goodnight Charlie, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night Charlie,” your little one yawns.

“Goodnight sweetheart,” he smiles, “and goodnight (Y/N), I’m looking forward to it already.”

You pass Sarah with a smile and she gives you a thumbs up before you disappear into the spare room with Evelyn and put her back into bed as you change into your pyjamas.

“Night kiss,” Evie says, flexing her fingers at you as she reaches out towards your face.

You pepper her face with kisses much to her delight, but her giggling soon stops with a gasp as she remembers something.

“Charlie night kiss!” she says, pushing the covers from her body.

“You want Charlie to give you a goodnight kiss?” you confirm with a frown.

“Charlie night kiss!” she repeats as she gets up onto wobbly feet.

“Uh, right, okay, Charlie night kiss then...”

You pick her up and take her downstairs, fully aware that you were now in your pyjamas in front of everyone, and Evie immediately extends her small arms towards the tall man.

“Charlie night kiss!” she grins.

“She won’t go to sleep without a Charlie goodnight kiss,” you explain as his mouth opens slightly in shock.

“Oh, right, of course!” Charlie stutters as he puts his plate to one side and gets up out of his chair.

Evelyn leans her full body weight over onto Charlie as he places his large hands on her sides and you let her legs move from your waist to his as he looks at you with slight trepidation etched across his face, but you give him a reassuring nod before he leans down and kisses her forehead gently.

“Night night little one,” he smiles, “was that… okay?”

Evie grins widely and nods her head then points to her forehead again, “Charlie night kiss.”

“Another?” he questions, getting an immediate nod in response.

He kisses the same spot on her head again and you laugh as she grins smugly then turns and reaches out for you again.

“You’re such a rascal!” you tease, tickling her belly with your fingers, “ _two_ Charlie night kisses! That’s so cheeky! Come on, you need some sleep after so many kisses!”

Sarah and John both stare at Charlie as he turns back to the table when you leave the room and they’re completely unable to hide their shock at what had just happened; Evelyn hadn’t even asked them for night kisses before, let alone someone she’d only met a few hours ago.


	4. Chapter 4

You’re first to wake the next morning and after quickly using the bathroom then checking that Evie’s still asleep, you head downstairs to find Charlie’s number on a piece of paper with your name on it and quickly fire off a text to ask him what time he was free this evening. After taking a glance at the time you make some pancakes and get Evie up and dressed just as Betty toddles out of her room, then you take the two downstairs for breakfast while you hear John and Sarah shuffle around upstairs and get ready for the day.

“Good morning!” they beam as they walk in to find the girls fed and ready for the childminder.

“Morning,” you smile, I was up early so thought I’d sort breakfast for us all… Pancakes okay?”

“Oh, you can stay more often!” John grins as he licks his lips at the plate of food.

“Well, I wanted to ask a favour actually...” you start, getting a knowing look from Sarah.

“Yes (Y/N), we’ll pick up Evie from the childminder and have her for dinner tonight,” she chuckles, answering your unasked question.

“Thank you!”

“And what plans do you have this evening then?” John asks, completely unaware of anything.

Sarah rolls her eyes at him, “she’s going out with Charlie!”

“Well I shall have a stern talking to with him before he leaves work tonight then,” he winks.

“Where’s Charlie?” Evie asks with a frown as she walks unsteadily into the kitchen.

“Well after all those goodnight kisses he gave you he had to go home and go to sleep darling,” you smile.

“Oh,” she shrugs, then walks back towards Betty.

“I think Charlie’s got another fan there,” John laughs, “it must be nice to see her open up like that.”

“You’re telling me! Yeah, it’s lovely, albeit very unexpected. It’s like she already knows him, it’s strange.”

“Or fate...” John suggests.

“No such thing!” you scoff, “right, I’ll get these two ready for the off.”

You get the girls’ bags packed then put their coats on just as Sarah grabs her keys off the side ready for you all to get into the car, and after a wave to John the four of you leave for the childminder’s where the girls are happy to run in to ready to play already. Sarah drives you to the school where you check on your car before foregoing your usual morning cigarette and heading straight inside to the staff room where Adam stands ready to hand you a mug of coffee.

“Oh my goodness (Y/N), how are you? You look tired, should you even be here today? Sarah, can she go ho-”

“Adam, I’m fine, please stop fussing. Thanks for the coffee,” you smile, even though you hated people thinking they knew best for you; maybe that’s another thing that attracted you to Charlie, he never stifled you once yesterday, even after finding out about your past, and he said how he admired your strength which was very important to you.

“(Y/N) is very capable of making her own decisions, Adam,” Sarah reminds him with a narrowed eye.

“How’s my favourite girl doing?” he asks.

“Your favourite girl has found a favourite person,” Sarah smirks; she never did like Adam much, and the way he was all over you all of the time annoyed her more than anything.

“Oh?” he questions, turning to you.

“She took a shining to the police officer who drove us to Sarah’s yesterday,” you chuckle, “she let him comfort her and even asked for goodnight kisses from him!”

“Right,” Adam grunts, feeling rather dejected.

“Oh don’t be like that!” you laugh, giving his arm a squeeze, “I’m sure it doesn’t mean she’s forgotten you.”

To be honest Evie had never really liked Adam; every time they met she’d shy away from him and hide in your neck for the duration of the meeting, only resurfacing when he was at a very safe distance from her. Then again, she was like that with most people, and even though Adam always called her his favourite girl she still didn’t give in, and stood her ground which was definitely something you were glad she inherited from you.

“I’ve asked the students not to say anything about what happened yesterday,” Adam informs you, changing the subject away from Evie as swiftly as possible.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Obviously Adam asking the students not to mention anything didn’t quite sink in with some of them and the first question you’re asked is what the dead man looked like, which is promptly shot down before you can even open your mouth, and the whole room goes quiet as Adam lets out a short burst of rage at them all, threatening detentions for anyone who brings it up again. You’re pretty sure Sarah’s comment about Evelyn and Charlie didn’t go down well this morning and must have caused a tiny bit of anger.

“Are you okay?” you ask him once the students have settled into their task for the morning.

“Yeah,” he sighs, “I’m alright. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” you nod, “you sure you’re okay? That was a bit of an explosion earlier.”

“It’s just Maria,” he whispers, “she got back in contact and I’m not sure I can trust a word she says.”

“Hmm, that’s a difficult one. Well, if you need to talk I’m here,” you say with a reassuring smile.

“Thanks. Are you free after work at all? Maybe I could come over and we could chat.”

“Actually I’ve got plans, but any other night I’m free!”

“The copper?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah right, got it. I’m busy the rest of the week anyway, so don’t worry,” he lies, fiddling with paper work on his desk.

“Well you know where I am if you need me,” you shrug, then take a walk around the classroom to check everyone’s getting on alright with their work.

Conversation begins to get awkward from then on and by the end of the day you’re ready to run out of the classroom along with the students just so you can get some air that isn’t filled with an underlying tension.

“See you tomorrow Adam!” you call as you walk out of the classroom a few seconds after the last pupil leaves.

“Yep,” he says bluntly.

You make sure to check in with Sarah just before you leave and thank her again for having Evie for the evening before you head outside and get into your car so you can go home and freshen up before Charlie picks you up. There’s a strange feeling in your stomach as you stand looking into the mirror with a nicer-than-usual dress on, and a hint of make up; it’s not that it felt wrong, but it was more the fact that you’d only done this with one other person in your life, and doing it again was something you never thought you would to be honest. The nerves were the same as they were for David, except now you were a fully grown adult instead of a school kid like when you first met, and it was comforting to know that you could feel this for someone else. There’s a knock at the door and you take one last deep breath before descending the stairs to open it up.

“Hi- wow,” Charlie gasps, “you look beautiful…” he then winces from embarrassment, “you look lovely, really nice.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” you smile timidly.

“I was thinking maybe we could go to the Six Bells? Then at least there’s the option for food if we want it.”

“Sounds perfect,” you agree, “let me just grab my bag.”

Charlie stays standing on the step as you run into the living room to get your handbag then he chuckles and points past you at the push along car that’s parked in the hallway.

“Yours or Evie’s?” he questions.

“That’s my weekend car,” you smirk, “zero to sixty in a couple of hours.”

“Brilliant,” he laughs, “luckily mine can fit more than one person in.”

You properly giggle for the first time in years as you turn to shut and lock the door behind you then you walk with Charlie to his car where he opens up the passenger door for you most unexpectedly. It’s not a long drive to the small pub, in fact it’s not a long drive anywhere in the village apart from if you need a supermarket, and you’re soon both sat at a small table in the corner of the cosy bar after watching Charlie have to duck his head when he walked over with the drinks.

“So how come you transferred from the city to here then?” you ask after taking your first sip of wine.

“Fancied a challenge,” he grins, “and there’s nowhere else quite like Midsomer.”

“That’s true! Have you any family nearby or are they back in the city?”

“They’re just across the county border actually, so not too far away. There was nothing left in the city for me, and sitting here with you only confirms what a great decision it was to move.”

He looks down at his drink as his cheeks turn a rosy red and you hide behind your glass as you feel your own cheeks heat up at his remark.

“Did Evelyn enjoy staying over at John’s last night?” he asks after a comforting gulp of beer.

“She loves a sleepover at theirs, mostly because her and Betty can get up to all sorts of mischief as soon as they wake up,” you laugh, “she’ll be loving it this evening as well, those two are inseparable.”

“That’s great,” he smiles, “she’s a real credit to you you know, she’s absolutely lovely.”

“Thank you, that means a lot,” you nod gratefully, “oh! What happened with that man yesterday? Have you found out how he died? Sorry, I know you’re not meant to say anything, but curiosity gets the better of me.”

Charlie laughs, then leans across the table and you mirror his action, “it’s looking like he was murdered, possibly poisoned. He has connections to someone in the school… Adam-”

“Carter?”

“Yes…” Charlie frowns, “how do you know?”

“He’s the teacher I work with in the textiles department. I work with him in his classroom every single day.”

Charlie leans back in his chair as he takes a deep breath in, then looks down at his drink as his fingers tap the glass nervously.


	5. Chapter 5

“Right…” Charlie trails off, unsure of what he should say next, “well we’ll be questioning him tomorrow anyway, so I’m sure things will become clear then. Probably just a coincidence.”

“Come on,” you smirk, “you don’t believe that! The months I’ve worked with him he’s seemed okay, moans a bit about his ex wife and tries to convince Evie to talk him, but apart from that… well, he has a bit of a temper sometimes, but poison would mean it was pre-meditated, right?”

“Look at you playing detective,” Charlie grins, “poison would suggest that, but then again it would depend on what poison was used and whether it could be something that someone would have to hand or had to get for the sole purpose of killing someone. Also, what do you mean tries to convince Evie to talk to him?”

“Ah! I’ll have to see what we have in the classroom that could be used to kill someone,” you say as Charlie shakes his head with a laugh, “well, he always calls Evie his favourite girl but whenever they’ve met she just hides in the crook of my neck like with most people, so there’s no actual rapport there with her yet he seems to think there is. Actually, Sarah pissed him off this morning by mentioning that Evie had taken a shine to you.”

“I’m just that special,” he winks.

“That you are,” you agree, quickly sipping on your wine to hide your face again.

“Not quite as special as you though.”

You giggle again, the second time this evening already, then suggest getting something to eat so you can both hold up menus to blush behind instead of your glasses, and Charlie ignores your insistence on paying for your own meal and quickly rushes up to the bar to order and pay, being careful not to knock himself out on the low wooden beams. He happily returns to the table with fresh drinks and you give him an annoyed yet thankful look as he places yours down next to your empty glass, then he sits down and takes a moment to look at you.

“What was Evie’s dad like?” he asks after a couple of minutes.

You raise your eyebrows at the question before shuffling around in your seat, then clear your throat before answering, “he was, uh… well, he… he was very loving. Would always jump in to defend someone if he thought they needed help, no matter if it were someone he knew or a complete stranger, he’d get right in there. He was like you in the way that he was born to be a dad; you can just see it in some people sometimes, even if they don’t realise it at the time.”

“That’s kind of you to say,” Charlie smiles.

“He could make you feel safe with one look, didn’t even have to be near you for you to know everything would be okay. I was absolutely terrified when I found out I was pregnant, it wasn’t exactly planned, and I was freaking out… crying, hyperventilating, everything! Then I look at him and that was it, I just stopped because I suddenly knew we could do it. He gave me that look just before he went out that day, there was no real reason for him to, but as he said goodbye he just did it like he knew what was going to happen,” you take a breath before looking up at Charlie who is staring intently at you, listening to everything you have to say so sincerely, “yeah. Anyway...”

“He sounds like a really lovely person.”

“He was,” you nod, looking away again, “you two would have got along like a house on fire.”

“You think?”

“For sure! You’re both…” almost the same person but in different bodies? No, that would be weird, “…quite similar from what I’ve seen. And Evie… well, she certainly likes you. She actually asked where you were this morning.”

“She did?!” Charlie gasps, “aww my goodness, could she be any cuter?! What did you say?”

“I said that after all of the Charlie night kisses you gave her, you had to go home and sleep.”

Charlie chuckles as he picks up his pint glass, “I must say, I’ve never given out more than one night kiss, so two was exhausting.”

“I’ll let her know she’s limited to one in future,” you wink, “anyway, enough about me, tell me about you!”

“Not a lot to say really!” he sighs, “no kids, only ever had one long term relationship which ended due to infidelity on her part, and… yeah that’s pretty much it. Moved here a couple of years ago and don’t regret a thing about it.”

“That’s good that you’re happy here, you seem really content as a person which is lovely to see.”

Your dinners are served and silence finally falls upon the table as you both tuck into the meals hungrily with only brief stolen glances at one another during your eating time. It was strangely fortuitous how well you both got along and you couldn’t help but hope for another meet up with him already. You finish your dinner first, your fingers stroking the base of your wine glass as you watch him take the last few bites of his own meal, and you smile to yourself when you notice that his deep brunette hair has hints of blonde in it from where the sun has caught it.

“What?” he asks, looking up at you when he’s swallowed the last bite, “have I got something on my face?”

“No,” you laugh, “you’re all good!”

“Phew!” he sighs before clearing his throat, “can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Would you like to do this again sometime?”

“Yeah I would like that,” you nod.

“Good, good,” he grins, “fancy dessert?”

You check your watch quickly then agree to dessert, this time you rushing up to the bar to order and pay before he even gets his leg out from underneath the table and you return triumphantly as you wave the receipt about. Charlie has a knack for making you laugh but you’re soon exiting the pub to walk to his car, and you suddenly realise you can’t remember the last time you’d had such a lovely evening as you link your arm through his and he leans into your body.

“Thank you for tonight,” you smile as you stand outside your front door feeling like a teenager again.

“No, thank _you_ for being the perfect date.”

You look away shyly but meet his haze within a matter of seconds as you feel him continue to watch you, then with one flick of the eyes to one another’s lips you both slowly move forwards and tilt your heads slightly until a long kiss is exchanged between the two of you. Charlie’s arms wrap around your back as yours slide up his shirt to rest upon his broad shoulders, then the kiss comes to a reluctant end and you stand there for a moment enjoying the embrace you found yourselves in. He leans in once more, unable to resist another taste of your sweet lips, and this time his tongue runs steadily across your bottom lip with you parting them to allow him access. It’s another couple of minutes with you pressed against your own front door before the two of you part again, this time soft giggles emanating from both of you as you look nervously away from one another.

“I’ll see you soon (Y/N),” Charlie smiles once the nerves have dissipated.

“Yeah, see you soon Charlie,” you sigh as your arms slide down from his shoulders when he steps back.

“Really soon,” he nods.

You turn and enter the house, hearing him open and shut his car door behind you, then as soon as you’re inside you lean against the wall and slide down onto the floor in a lovestruck mess. Your self indulgent moment doesn’t last long when Sarah rings to make sure you’re home for Evie’s drop off, and you quickly go upstairs to change into your pyjamas before they both arrive.

“Hey,” Sarah whispers, holding a sleeping Evelyn in her arms, “how did it go?”

“Oh bloody hell Sarah,” you groan as you take Evie off of her gently, “we kissed.”

“Eek!” she squeals quietly, “wait, why do you say it like that?”

“It’s too perfect isn’t it? I meet this handsome guy who Evie seems to adore from the get go, he appears to like me as much as I like him and… well… it’s too good to be true,” you let out a sigh as you lay Evelyn down on the sofa temporarily.

“No sweetie,” she smiles warmly, “it’s fate!”

“Don’t you start! You’re just like John.”

She looks at you with narrowed eyes, then huffs as she puts her hands on her hips, “you’ll see! Anyway, see you in the morning. I’m so glad everything went well!”

“Thank you Sarah, and thank you for looking after Evie. See you tomorrow.”

You shut and lock the door behind her then take Evie up to bed before laying in your own room thinking about how those dormant butterflies in your stomach had now suddenly come back to life, and eventually you drift off, only to be woken by the alarm in the morning. It’s a bit of a rush to school as Evelyn fussed over her breakfast and tried to go on hunger strike because you’d run out of bananas, but after you hurry down the corridor to the staff room you find Adam there with a waiting cup of coffee again.

“That’s very much needed today!” you breathe as you take the mug and start sipping straight away.

“Is everything alright? What’s wrong? Bad date?”

Sarah audibly laughs from a few steps away at hearing the last question and you widen your eyes at her before looking at Adam, “I’m fine, breakfast was a rush though.”

Three raps of knuckles sounds out on the staff room door before Adam can try to pry any further and when Sarah walks over to open it she finds her husband staring back at her with Charlie at his side.

“John!” Sarah gasps, “come in.”

“Thank you,” he nods, “we’re here to speak to an Adam Carter...”

Everyone in the room turns to look at Adam, including you, and both John and Charlie walk towards where you stand next to him.

“Adam Carter?” he questions.

“Yes… what’s this about?”

“I’m Chief Inspector Barnaby and this is Sergeant Nelson… we’re here to ask you to come down to the station and answer some questions about the man who was found on school grounds a couple of days ago,” he says matter-of-factly.

“What? I don’t know him!” Adam protests.

“We have reason to believe that you do. Please accompany us to the station where we can sort everything out,” he says, forcing a smile, “or Nelson here will have no other option but to arrest you.”


	6. Chapter 6

“It’s okay, I’ve got the class,” you reassure Adam as he looks from John to Charlie in complete bewilderment.

“Right. Yeah. It’s fine, I’ll be back by lunch probably,” he finally responds, snapping out of his initial shock, “uh, I need my bag, it’s by my desk, can I…?”

“Nelson, you go with Miss (Y/L/N) to retrieve Mr Carter’s bag please, and I’ll escort him to the car,” John instructs.

They walk out of the staff room together then you nod for Charlie to follow you through the school to the classroom you shared, your hands brushing against one another’s as you walk side by side along the corridors. Not a word is uttered until you get into the empty classroom where suddenly you both feel safe enough to speak, and Charlie breaks into a smile as soon as you’re alone.

“I really enjoyed last night,” he admits shyly.

“So did I. It was really lovely,” you grin as you bend down to pick up Adam’s satchel, “didn’t expect to see you so soon. I mean, you didn’t have to threaten to arrest someone just to see me...”

“Thought it’d be a good excuse though,” he winks, picking up the bag from the desk, “but seriously, I would love to do it again, sometime this weekend maybe?”

“I’ll have to see if John and Sarah can have Evie...”

“Evie can come along if they can’t. I just… I just really want to spend more time with you.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” you nod, “alright then, she can play third wheel if they can’t have her.”

“Great! Well, I’d better go, but, uh, I’ll message you later.”

“Sounds good,” you smile, then he quickly pecks your lips and leaves within a matter of seconds.

It was a bold move but you find yourself swooning like a fool, and you walk over to the window to see Adam staring listlessly out of the window of John’s car as Charlie hops in next to him with the bag. You look back at the classroom and genuinely wonder if there was anything here that could kill someone, opening up the cupboards as you walk towards the door and checking for any mysterious looking bottles.

“Miss! Is it true Mr Carter was arrested?! Did he kill someone?!” you slam the cupboard door shut at the sound of the first students entering the room with a million questions being asked at you, and you roll your eyes as you walk past them to the desk at the front.

“Okay! Everyone settle down please… thank you. Right, Mr Carter is helping police with their enquiries, he has not been arrested, and this is not a dramatic episode of Eastenders, so everyone calm down and let’s get on with our end of year show planning,” you announce.

Eventually the whispers die down as the students focus on their work and you make your way around the classroom quietly, offering help to anyone who needed it and giving encouraging comments to those who didn’t. It was quite nice to be in the classroom without Adam in all honesty, the pupils were well behaved and listened to you just as much as they did to him, and you fell quite naturally into taking the lead at the head of the class. Maybe it wouldn’t turn out to be a completely horrible thing if he did happen to be arrested…

“So, how was your morning?” Sarah asks as she steps into the classroom at lunch once all the students have left.

“Really good!” you grin, “I think I’ve got this teaching thing nailed.”

“Of course you have! You’re a complete natural at it, I wouldn’t have hired you otherwise,” she winks.

“Oh stop, you’re going to make me blush! Oh, speaking of… could you possibly have Evie at the weekend at all? It doesn’t matter if not, Charlie said she’s more than welcome to join us.”

“But if Evie joins you, she’ll be the one getting the night kisses and not you… and we can’t be having that now can we?” she smirks.

“Sarah!” you laugh.

“We will be delighted to have her, and Betty will be thrilled as always! Actually, we were going to get the sand pit out, so they can have an afternoon of getting sand everywhere while me and John sit back with a glass of wine.”

“Well that sounds absolutely lovely, and I _almost_ wish I was joining you!”

“But not quite, because you have handsome Charlie to see.”

“You think he’s handsome?” you tease.

“Oh, and you don’t?!”

“Oh Sarah, I fear the worst… I fear that it’s an actual full blown crush I have on him. How stupid is this?! I sound like a teenager!”

“It’s not stupid in the slightest, and it’s not as if the feeling isn’t mutual...”

“How do you mean?”

“John happened to mention that Charlie hasn’t been able to wipe the smile from his face all morning, and for someone who despises early starts I’d say that was nothing short of a miracle. You’ve obviously had quite the effect on him!”

“Well, what can I say?” you sigh confidently as you flick your hair back with a laugh, “in all seriousness though, this is like David all over again. The feelings are the same, but different, if you know what I mean?”

Sarah walks over to you and places her hands on your cheeks gently with a smile, “I told you, this is meant to be!”

You return the smile, still disbelieving of the statement, but intrigued as to whether there may ever be some evidence to prove any truth behind it. Her hands slip from your face then she nods towards the door and the two of you head to the staff room for a much needed cup of coffee and some food before the afternoon lessons begin. It’s a strange atmosphere in the room as you spot a small huddle of teachers very obviously whispering about Adam in the corner and looking over at you every now and again before resuming their gossip between bites of food.

“Sarah, what do you think is going on with Adam?” you ask quietly as she settles into the seat next to you with her lunch.

“I honestly do not know,” she sighs, shaking her head, “he’s never really mentioned friends or famil apart from his ‘bitch of an ex Maria’ of course,” she says, putting her plate on her lap to use air quotes.

“Hmm… do you think he’d be capable of-?”

“I do NOT need escorting up here!” Adam yells as he bursts through the door, throwing his bag down so that it accidentally hit your legs.

Charlie steps forward immediately but John quickly holds his arm out to stop him before turning to Sarah.

“I did suggest that Mr Carter go home after his time at the station but he insisted on returning to work. However, he has just hit his colleague with his bag, so I would strongly advise you to send him home yourself Mrs Barnaby,” John states professionally as you kick the bag to the side and rub your calf.

“I didn’t mean to do that did I?!” he sighs exasperatedly, “ _you_ made me!”

“We did no such thing Mr Carter,” John replies.

“Adam, you should take the rest of the day off,” Sarah says calmly, “before you do or say something you regret.”

“You as well? Are you all in this together or something?” Adam questions with narrowed eyes.

“You’ve obviously had a stressful morning, I’m simply suggesting you go home and relax for the rest of the day then come in with a clear head on Monday,” Sarah explains, “we’re just trying to help you Adam.”

You sit in a stunned silence at his outburst, not that you hadn’t seen glimpses of his temper before, then flinch away from where his bag lies as he picks it up and storms out of the room with a loud huff. John raises his eyebrows at the man’s actions then lets out a deep sigh and looks over to you, still leaning over to one side on your chair.

“Are you alright (Y/N)?” he asks.

“Yeah, yeah, I just…” you look over at the circle of nosey teachers then lower your voice, “I just didn’t expect that from him. I mean, he’s had little outbursts before but nothing quite like that.”

“How do you mean? At you?” Charlie worries, stepping closer to your chair and squatting down next to you.

“No, no, at the students. Like the other day he said he’s asked them to not mention me finding the man, and of course the first question that was asked was about the body… he flew off the handle and yelled at everyone to shut up about it. We were all taken aback by it. When I asked him if he was okay he said something about Maria getting back in touch.”

“His ex?” Charlie confirms.

“Yeah,” you nod.

“Something he failed to mention...” John frowns.

“Who was the guy I found anyway?” you ask, looking from Charlie to John with expectation.

“Maybe we should take this somewhere else,” John sighs as looks over at the group in the corner.

You all head to Sarah’s office where you can speak more freely without anyone eavesdropping on your conversation, and you and Sarah take a seat while the two men stand next to one another.

“Now you didn’t hear this from me...” John begins.

Sarah scoffs at his opening line, “we’ve both heard that one before!”

John rolls his eyes before continuing, “anyway, the man you found was his previous housemate; he’d only shared a house with him for a month before he was declared missing by his family, then one week later he turns up under bushes here.”

“He never mentioned a housemate before...” you hum inquisitively.

“Well, I don’t think many people knew to be honest, but since his ex wife had moved out he was struggling to pay the mortgage on his own so put out a newspaper ad for a housemate soon after,” John explains.

You furrow your brow as you think and Charlie smiles at the sight of the cogs turning inside your brain, “so, Maria leaves him, he then has to get a housemate, then Maria gets back in touch and I find this guy dead on the field?! That’s way too much of a coincidence, surely?”

“Ah, careful Nelson, we have an amateur detective in the room,” Barnaby smirks.


	7. Chapter 7

The weekend was upon you; it was Saturday evening and both you and Evie were sitting in the garden at Sarah and John’s while you waited for Charlie to pick you up. Your amateur sleuthing had earned you a stern warning from John and yet the harsh words had only interested you further into what was going on with Adam.

“He’s here!” Sarah calls out cheerily from the kitchen.

Evie is quick to rise to her unsteady feet and begins to toddle towards the front door as quickly as her tiny legs will take her, and when Charlie knocks at the door she practically squeals with delight at the prospect of seeing him again.

“Evelyn!” you laugh as she reaches up for the door handle which is far too high for her short arm, “come here.”

You open the door with a smile and Charlie grins directly at you before Evie stretches her arms out to the tall man.

“Charlie! Charlie!” she demands, wanting him to take her from your grasp.

“Hello there young lady!” he chuckles as you lean her towards him.

He balances her on his side as she leans her head on his shoulder and you never thought you’d feel slightly envious of your own daughter in such as way as you do now. Her chubby fingers grab at his shirt as she gives him her version of a cuddle and John has to shout out for you both as you suddenly realise you were still stood at the front door. You let Charlie walk through then watch the two of them as he strolls into the lounge with her attached to his side, and you can’t help but think of David and how he probably would have been her favourite parent; a true daddy’s girl left without a dad. Charlie turns to see you leaning against the now closed front door and nods for you to catch up with them but you hold up your index finger to signify you’d only be a minute, then disappear upstairs for a breather.

“Evie, l think Betty is missing you outside, why don’t you go and see her?” Sarah suggests softly.

You can hear Evie’s tiny ‘humph’ and imagine her snuggling into Charlie a little more in an attempt to not leave him, and your heart breaks at the thought she couldn’t have done this with her father. It caught you off guard like this sometimes, an overwhelming wave of sadness that she missed out on knowing her dad even though she doesn’t have a clue about anything right now, and you have to take a short time out to gather yourself again. She knows no different though and although you’ll tell her one day when she’s older all about her dad, she’ll be blissfully unaware for a good few years to come.

“Go on Evie, I promise I’ll be right out,” Charlie says as he encourages her to join her friend in the garden.

“Promise?” she confirms.

“Promise,” he repeats sincerely.

“Okay… where’s mummy?” she questions before she walks away.

“I’m not sure darling, should I go look for her?”

“Yes peas!”

You drop your head into your hands with a laugh at her pronunciation of ‘please’; you were so grateful to have her in your life, one word from her and your mood could change within an instant, and the sadness you’d felt only moments before was now shrinking back into the shadows of your mind. Your hands drag down your face, revealing it inch by inch until you notice Charlie standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at you with a concerned expression pulling at his perfect face.

“Are you okay?” he asks quietly as he ascends the stairs towards you slowly.

“Yes, I’m fine,” you chuckle, “Evelyn still hasn’t managed to master the ‘l’ in please!”

“Are you sure? We don’t have to go out tonight if you don’t want to, we can just… sit on the stairs?” he smiles, taking a seat next to you and nudging your shoulder gently.

“No I want,” you reassure, leaning against his arm, “I really do.”

“Charlie? ...Charlie?” a familiar voice calls out, “did you find mummy?”

Evie’s small figure wobbles out from the lounge and looks up at you both sat on the stairs then she crawls up each step until she wriggles her way into the limited space between your thighs thanks to the narrow staircase, and she falls against your chest with a sigh, her little arms reaching across your torso as far as they can go. That mother and daughter bond was undeniable at times like this when it seemed as if she knew exactly what you were feeling and instinctively gave you a cuddle to make things okay again. She looks up at you with eyes older than her years, staring right into your soul, then smiles before puckering her lips for a kiss which you gladly peck before squeezing her once more.

“Cuddle Charlie,” she says quietly as you hold onto her hands while she steps down then over to his waiting arms.

She settles in between his legs much better being as they were more slender than yours and he lifts her up onto one of his thighs so she can sit happily looking at you both as she leans against him as if she knew him.

“You like Charlie don’t you?” you ask as she fiddles with his fingers that sit at her waist, keeping her safely on his lap.

“Yeah!” she grins.

“And why do you like Charlie?”

“He’s cosy,” she replies, snuggling into him, then she looks up to meet his gaze, “are you a daddy?”

He opens his mouth before his mind can catch up to him; the question obviously taking him surprise, “uh… no, I’m not a daddy.”

“Oh,” she says, slightly disappointed, “so you can’t cuddle mummy because only daddies and mummies cuddle.”

“Ah, actually there’s a loophole that does allow me to cuddle mummy,” Charlie starts, much to your amusement, “I can cuddle her if you say I can… even if I’m not a daddy. So, do I have your permission?”

“Yes! You have persmesson,” she nods happily as the two of you chuckle at her mispronunciation.

“Fantastic! Come here then (Y/N),” he grins as he puts an arm around you and cuddles you into his side.

“Are you two going out tonight, or am I supposed to be making dinner for two extra people?” Sarah laughs from the bottom of the stairs as she looks up at the three of you huddled together.

“Yes, we should get going,” you agree.

Sarah walks up to grab Evie from Charlie then takes her down and into the garden to play with Betty while you get your things together and Charlie talks to John.

“Now be good little miss,” you grin as you squat down next to Evie, “and I’ll see you later.”

“Okay mummy,” she nods, “you be good.”

“I will!” you laugh.

“Bye bye Charlie!” Evelyn calls out as you stand, “night kiss?”

“Of course sweetheart,” he chuckles.

You back away as he kneels on the floor next to Evelyn and kisses the top of her softly, and you smile as you watch her little eyes flutter shut as she enjoys his comforting touch; maybe she subconsciously yearned for a fatherly figure without even realising the meaning behind it after seeing the interactions between Betty and John. You walk away to stand by the lounge door to wait for Charlie and look at Evie as her eyes follow him all the way to you, then she diverts her gaze to yours and gives you a big cheesy grin before the two of you disappear.

“Thank you,” you sigh as you get into the passenger seat of his car.

“For what?” he frowns.

“For being so good with Evelyn. It really does mean a lot.”

“It’s nothing, honestly. She’s a brilliant kid and she’s part of you so I just feel lucky to have two new people in my life,” he shrugs.

You smile timidly at his reply then he starts up the car and reverses out of the driveway; his hand falling naturally onto your thigh after he’s got the car into gear and you’re cruising down the road that leads out of the village. Your hand lays on top of his gently until he has to change gear again, but soon enough you arrive at the larger pub in the next village over where his fingers slip between yours as you walk through the door together. He walks you through to the garden where you find a table then he heads inside for the drinks and returns just as a scuffle begins to break out at the other end of the pub.

“Someone’s had too much to drink already,” you joke as it soon calms down thanks to people separating the two men.

“I hope they don’t carry on for too long… I’m off duty and on a date, I’m not getting involved!” he laughs.

“So this is an official date?” you smirk.

“The second one by my count,” he winks.

A blush creeps across your cheeks at his wink, “I’d agree with that number.”

“Sarah tells me you did superbly at taking the class the other day by the way. I didn’t have a shadow of a doubt that you couldn’t handle it.”

“Thank you! I really enjoyed it, it’s certainly put things into perspective for me. I thought I’d be happy with always being the technician but now… now, not so much.”

“You should get job hunting then,” Charlie smiles proudly, “get yourself out there.”

“Everything’s so perfect here though, and Evie’s settled… I don’t know, maybe I’ll just have to wait for Adam to leave,” you laugh.

“There’s no harm in looking though, and it’ll be easy to settle somewhere else if you have someone to help you...”

“Not sure I can ask John and Sarah to help with another move!”

“You wouldn’t have to, I’d be there.”

You smile as you bring your wine glass to your lips then a crash of glass from inside the pub causes you both to snap your heads around to look in the direction of the sound, and there you see Adam stumbling outside with a drunk grin pulling at his mouth.

“You two look _adorable_ together!” he slurs as he approaches the table, “just _so cute_. Where’s Evie in all this though? Palmed off on Sarah again?”

He scoffs to himself as Charlie stands from the bench and moves into his path, then he lifts his hand and Adam walks straight into it with a bounce, losing his footing easily thanks to the alcohol in his system.

“Oh! He’s your guard dog too?!” he laughs.

“I think that’s enough now, don’t you?” Charlie says calmly as you silently seethe at his comments, “I suggest you head home… on foot,” he continues, taking Adam’s keys from his pocket and slipping the one for the car off the ring, “you can pick this up from the station in the morning.”

“Oh come on! Seriously?!” Adam whines.

“Go home before I call officers to escort you to a nice cosy cell for the night,” Charlie warns.

“I’m going,” he says, backing away with his arms up in the air in defeat, “I’m going!”

Charlie stays standing until Adam is out of sight then drops his head with a sigh and shakes it from side to side as he returns to his seat, “well that was… interesting.”

“Would it definitely be completely illegal to go for a joy ride in his car?” you question.

“Unfortunately it would, but we could make some excuse by you doing him a favour by driving it to the station for him to pick up?”

“I like your thinking!”

“Are you alright after all that?” Charlie asks, reaching his arm across the table so he can take your hand in his.

“I’m fine, honestly. Lucky you were there though otherwise I would have decked him.”

“I don’t doubt that for one second! I was close to it myself!”

“I’m still not quite convinced he’s capable of murder though...”

“Hmm, nor are we to be honest. Something doesn’t add up, it’s too much of a coincidence.”

You lift your fingers and slot them between Charlie’s then your eyes meet across the table, “do you believe in coincidences? Fate? Things like that?” you ask.

“I do,” Charlie nods, “I believe that everything happens for a reason and sometimes things happen in your life that are destined to be, and you have no choice but to embrace it.”

“What if you’re a little reluctant at embracing it? Maybe because there’s an element of fear?”

“Then I’d hold on tight,” he says softly, strengthening his grip on your hand, “to someone you trust to help you get through it.”

“Better stay like this for a while then,” you admit shyly.


	8. Chapter 8

Monday morning always came around a little too quickly for your liking, but on the plus side you’d heard that Adam had called in sick so you could go about your day without having to suppress the urge to punch him in his smug face after his comments at the pub. You almost skip down the corridor at the school to your classroom and you can hear Sarah’s laugh behind you as she watches you full of enthusiasm for the day. The students question Adam’s disappearance but you quickly make the excuse that he has the flu and it’s as if he was never needed in the first place as you get on with your day leading the classroom once more. The smile barely fades from your face even at the last lesson of the day and you’re sat there beaming when the final student leaves the room; proud of what you’re achieving with Adam out of the picture.

“You coming?” Sarah asks as she pops her head around the door while you’re tidying up the classroom.

“Yeah, I’m just going to set some things out for tomorrow then I’ll be off. You go ahead and I’ll meet you at yours,” you grin.

“You’ve really taken to this like a duck to water haven’t you?”

“Well, I’m not one to brag but… yeah, I feel like this is what I was meant to do,” you agree.

“Looks like there’s more than just this that’s coming together in your life,” she winks.

Your phone begins to ring and you slip it out of your pocket to see Charlie’s name at the top of the screen, “speaking of which...” you chuckle.

Sarah gives you a wave before hurrying off to pick up the kids from the babysitter, then you answer your phone with a joyous hello.

“Ah! So your day went just as you imagined then?”

“It did indeed! Funny how everything runs so smoothly without Adam here.”

“Pretty difficult teaching a class from a cell,” he laughs.

“No! He’s there with you?!”

“Yep, came in last night, drunk again, and ended up falling into some poor woman’s front garden smashing a couple of plant pots as he went… she wasn’t best pleased so we took him in to sober up over night.”

“Shit,” you chuckle, “that’s bad. Not for me… but for him, definitely. How come he’s suddenly coming undone since this friend of his was found? What’s going on here? There’s something more to this, I just know it.”

“Alright Miss Marple, calm down,” Charlie teases, “leave it us, I don’t want you getting into any trouble because of this okay?”

“Okay,” you sigh, “how’s your day going anyway?”

You get up from the desk and begin to place worksheets on the students’ desks for morning, then head into the supplies cupboard where you kept donated lengths of fabric and other tools for the kids to use as you continue to chat to Charlie. You’re squatting down on the floor to find the spare glue gun sticks when suddenly the door slams shut and you hear the turn of the key locking you in the small space.

“What was that?” Charlie asks.

“Umm, I think I’ve just been locked in the cupboard...” you say quietly before calling out to the mysterious person, “hello? Who’s there? This isn’t funny, you need to let me out now.”

You wiggle the handle then bang on the door but the person hovering around outside doesn’t make a noise as they open up the vent just above the door frame.

“What’s happening?” Charlie questions, now panicked.

“I… Hey! What are you doing?! Let me out, now!” you demand as they poke a small piece of pipe through the vent, just out of your reach no matter how high you jump, “let me out! What are you doing?”

You throw your body against the door in an attempt to open it but it doesn’t budge, then as Charlie starts shouting down the phone at you, you begin to feel woozy from whatever was being fed into the air around you.

“(Y/N)! Talk to me!” he urges desperately.

“I think you need to get here,” you slur, “quickly.”

The phone drops from your hand onto the floor as you begin to slide down the door then your head hits the carpet and your eyes quickly close while your whole body becomes limp.

“We’re on our way! (Y/N), we’re coming!” Charlie reassures even though you can no longer hear him.

Him and John arrive within a matter of minutes, his long legs carrying him through the corridors to your classroom with ease, then he quickly unlocks the door to find you on the floor, your body completely still apart from a few shallow breaths. John rings for an ambulance as other officers arrive to inspect the scene then makes a quick phone call to Sarah to let her know you were being taken to hospital so wouldn’t be there to pick up Evie. Charlie attempts to bring you round and although there are some incoherent noises coming from you now that you’d been taken out of the enclosed space, you’re still not fully conscious.

“How long will the ambulance be?!” Charlie shouts exasperatedly at no one in particular.

“Nelson, it’s on its way” John says calmly as he kneels beside you and pushes your hair back from your face, “she’ll be fine.”

He was saying it to comfort himself as much as Charlie as well; you were like family to him and he was as concerned about you as he would be about his own daughter in all honesty, and Charlie could see it in his eyes, the worry and the pain at seeing you like this, knowing that someone out there had done this to you on purpose. The paramedics soon come hurtling into the room, ushering Charlie and John out of the way while they do a quick assessment of your vitals before getting you onto a stretcher and wheeling you out.

“You go, I’ll stay here,” John nods to Charlie before he bolts out of the room to catch up with you, “right, we need this place searched top to bottom; bins, drawers, everywhere! Does the pipe have fingerprints on? Where did the gas canisters come from? We need answers as soon as possible,” he instructs to the remaining officers.

Charlie remains by your bed side in the A&E department while they carry out tests to figure out what had got into your system, and your semi-conscious state is signified by quite a violent bout of vomiting with Charlie holding the bowl in one hand while his other one tries to scoop up as much of your hair as possible.

“Is she going to be okay?” he asks with a concerned frown at how much you’re being sick.

“This can be a normal side effect of inhaling so much isoflurane and nitrous oxide,” the nurse nods, noting Charlie’s utter confusion at the use of technical terms, “…otherwise known as anaesthetic gas.”

“Oh, right.”

“Luckily you got to her before she inhaled too much of it. She should be fine, but we’ll be keeping her in overnight as a precaution. I guess you’ll be informing her family?”

“I am family,” Charlie automatically says before clarifying, “I’m her boyfriend, I mean.”

“Then you’ll have to make sure to take good care of her when she gets home; she may be a little unsteady on her feet for a few days.”

“Of course,” he nods.

The nurse leaves with the now full sick bowl then Charlie’s phone begins to ring and he answers it to Sarah’s worried tone, “how is she?”

“She’s… uh, she’s okay. Not fully awake yet,” he says as he sinks down into the seat next to your bed, “she’s been sick a few times but can’t quite wake up.”

“Do they know what it is she breathed in?”

“Anaesthetic apparently, a mix of two gasses. She’ll be off work for the rest of the week.”

“Of course,” Sarah sighs, “at least it wasn’t anything more toxic. Uhm, can you speak to Evie? She’s getting a little anxious after we said mummy wasn’t well and I told her you were making sure she’s okay.”

“Yeah, absolutely, put her on.”

“Charlie?” Evie’s timid voice questions as Sarah puts the phone to her ear.

“Yes darling, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m having dinner.”

“Oh, what are you having?”

“Pasta!” she says excitedly before turning serious, “where’s mummy?”

“Pasta sounds yummy, I’m sure mummy will want some when she feels a bit better. She’s at the hospital with me and some very nice doctors who are making her well again, she’s safe sweetheart, don’t worry,” Charlie reassures with a smile as he takes your hand.

“Is she coming here soon?”

“She will come there tomorrow Evie, I promise.”

“Will you come as well?”

“Of course! I won’t be leaving mummy’s side until she’s all better, okay? Tomorrow we will both come to Sarah’s and you can tell her all about the fun things you’ve been doing with Betty, yeah?”

“Okay. Can you give her a night kiss from me?”

“I sure will! And she sends one right back to you, and so do I.”

“Thankoo!”

With that Sarah takes the phone away and speaks one last time, “you look after our girl Charlie.”

“You know I will.”

He slides his phone back inside his pocket then pulls his chair closer to the bed so he can lean over and kiss your forehead.

“That’s from Evie,” he whispers, then kisses your lips softly, “and that’s from me. Evie’s at Sarah’s eating pasta and playing with Betty so there’s no need to worry about her. She knows you’re not well but she’s looking forward to seeing you tomorrow when I can get you out of here. Then I think we should all get some pizza in and watch a film of Evie’s choosing… what do you think?”

A small smile appears on your lips at the sound of Charlie’s voice and you nod in answer to his question even though you didn’t quite have enough energy to open your eyes and talk yet, but a quick squeeze to his hand is all he needs to know that you can understand what he’s saying.

You’re soon wheeled up to a ward where there’s a room waiting just for you, and Charlie flashes his badge as an excuse to stay the night with you even though he’s sitting in one of the most uncomfortable chairs he’s ever sat in before. It’s around 4am when you finally start to properly wake up and as your heart rate quickens with the sudden awareness that you’re in hospital, a nurse comes in to check you over and wakes Charlie in the process.

“Your boyfriend flashed his badge to get to stay here with you, y’know?” she smirks as she takes your blood pressure, “I’d say he was a keeper that one.”

“Yeah,” you chuckle, “he’s alright.”

“Must be strange for your daughter to not have mummy or daddy there tonight, but I bet she’s enjoying her sleepover,” she smiles.

“Oh, I’m not-” Charlie starts.

“Step dad,” you interrupt, “but yeah, she’s probably had a whale of a time without us and getting a load of treats!”

“Whenever my little boy returns from my mum’s house, he’s weighed down with sweets in his pockets!” the nurse laughs, “better check hers tomorrow, just in case.”

“Remember that Charlie, check her pockets,” you nod.

“I’ll pat her down, don’t you worry!”

The nurse leaves, shutting the door gently behind her, then you turn to Charlie with an inquisitive look on your face, “boyfriend?” you ask.

“Step dad?” he questions back.

You shrug, “quicker and easier than explaining the whole situation.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he winks.

He drags his chair nearer to you as he slips his hand over yours then explains the events that had happened in the lead up to the present moment, filling you on every detail down to what Evie was having for dinner, and even though you’re a little concerned about what happened to you, you know that you’re in safe hands with Charlie.


	9. Chapter 9

Neither of you get any more sleep after your 4am wake up and you end up talking in hushed voices until you’re finally discharged at just after 10am. You realise the doctor wasn’t wrong when he said the effects of the gas you inhaled would linger for a while, and as you stand from the bed you quickly fall sideways into Charlie as your head spins.

“Woah there!” he chuckles as he takes a hold of you until you’re steady on your feet, “do you want me to get a wheelchair to take you to the car?”

“I’ll be fine,” you sigh, “you’ll just have to keep your eye on me, and if I start veering off course then just point me in the right direction.”

He narrows his eyes at you before tutting, “I’ll just carry you to the car.”

“Better bloody not!” you laugh, “could you do me a favour though?”

“Anything,” he nods.

“When we get to Sarah and John’s, could you make sure Evelyn doesn’t see me falling about the place? I don’t want to worry her and she’ll pick up on it straight away.”

“Of course. I’ll get you upstairs and in the spare room then she can come and see you. I’ve got to go to the station to sort some paperwork after what happened yesterday but Sarah’s taken today off to look after you.”

“Thanks. I hate a fuss,” you grimace.

“Well tough luck, because we’re all going to fuss over you until I get the bastard who did this.”

He almost spits the last part of the sentence as his rage bubbles to the surface over what had happened to you, and he was determined to find the person who tried to hurt you. His body ached with exhaustion but it was the need to hold you that was overwhelming him at this current moment and he wasn’t sure he could resist the urge much longer as he watched you steady yourself on the bed side table with one hand while you put items into a bag with your other one. He wordlessly steps towards you to place a hand on your back then as you straighten up while you wonder what he’s doing he turns your body to face his, and you gladly lean against his torso with your head turned to the side. Your hand lets go of the table to grip onto his jumper while his arms slide around your body a little tighter, and you feel yourself melt into him as relief floods your veins in such a rush that you almost faint.

“Let’s get you to a nice comfy bed,” he sighs as he begins to loosen his grip.

You loop your arm through his as you finally walk up the familiar path you never thought you’d miss this much and you can already hear Evie’s excited calls of ‘mummy!’ from inside; it’s enough to make you cry. Sarah opens the door as Evie stays in the living room eagerly hopping from one foot to the other, and Charlie rushes you past the doorway and up the stairs before she can catch a glimpse of your wobbles.

“Just need the loo darling!” you call out, “Charlie will bring you up in a minute!”

“Okay mummy!” she almost squeals, unable to contain her excitement.

You pop to the toilet with Charlie standing guard outside then he helps you to the spare bedroom where you quickly get into bed with a relieved sigh and prop the pillows up to get comfy. A quick nod to Charlie is all he needs to fly downstairs and sweep Evie up so she can invade the bed with you and get her much needed cuddles that she missed last night. She’s under the covers with you within seconds, squeezed up against your side as her tiny arms reach as far around your body as they’ll go, and you fight back tears as you wrap your arms around her and dip your head down to inhale her beautiful scent.

“I’ve missed you,” you whisper between kissing her hair.

“I had pasta for dinner!”

“You did?! Did you save any for me?”

“I ate it all.”

“So it’s in your belly?” you ask as one of your hands tickles her stomach.

“Ah!” she laughs, wriggling around next to you, “mummy! Stop! Charlie! Help!”

A laugh sounds out from the doorway and he shakes his head, “no one can stop mummy tickles!”

Charlie watches as your smile fades and your eyes flicker open and shut as you fight to stay conscious as another episode washes over your body thanks to the exertion of tickling and laughing, and he’s quick to scoop Evie up before she notices your now pale face.

“Right, why don’t you and Sarah make a tasty get well cake for mummy? I’m thinking lots of chocolate and lots of sweets as decoration, what do you think?” he grins as you give him a thankful nod as your head falls back onto the pillows.

“Yeah! Will you help?”

“I’ve got to go into work but I might be back to help eat all the sweets… I mean, decorate.”

Evelyn laughs and covers her face with her hands before dropping her forehead onto his shoulder and shaking her head from side to side.

“You’re so funny,” she giggles.

“Hear that?” he says, raising his eyebrows at you, “I’m hilarious, a complete catch!”

You form a weak smile and scoff before rolling your eyes playfully.

“Mummy looks tired,” Evie sighs as she turns to face you.

“Hmm, I think she needs a nice nap and then when she wakes there’ll be a huge chocolate cake waiting for her,” Charlie grins.

“Nap kiss for mummy.”

Charlie leans Evie down so she can peck your lips, then they turn towards the bedroom door.

“You forgot mummy’s nap kiss,” Evie frowns up at the man holding her.

“Oh, silly me! How could I forget to give mummy a nap kiss?!”

He walks back over and sits down on the edge of the bed with Evie still attached to his side then he leans in slowly, trying to figure out where would the best place to kiss you would be, and he soon settles on your forehead where he presses his lips to your skin softly. He gives you a warm smile as he sits back up then stand with your little one and the two of them leave in silence, allowing you to shut your eyes and drift off into an uncomfortable sleep.

“I’ll be back soon,” Charlie assures Sarah, “I’ll make sure to bring John with me as well. I sort of said that you’d make (Y/N) a get well cake, I’m sorry. She was looking so washed out and she’d already said she didn’t want Evie seeing her unwell, so I had to get her out of the room with the promise of cake.”

“Don’t worry,” Sarah chuckles, “that’s fine! Thank you for taking such good care of her Charlie, it really means a lot to John and I.”

Charlie shrugs nonchalantly, “no need to thank me, I’m just doing what anyone would do for the ones they love.”

“Oh,” Sarah gasps lightly, her eyes widening at the word ‘love’.

“Life’s too short to play it cool,” he laughs softly, “I haven’t said anything to (Y/N) though, so if you could keep it a secret for now...”

“Of course!” she whispers excitedly, “see you soon!”

Charlie heads out of the door completely unaware that both Evelyn and Betty had been listening in, and the two of them giggle excitedly about it even though they didn’t quite know what it meant apart from the fact that mummies and daddies love each other very much. Evie sneaks past Sarah and clambers up the stairs to find you staring up at the ceiling after only seeing the small cupboard you were trapped in when you closed your eyes, and she gets your attention as she jumps up onto the bed, tugging at the duvet for support.

“What are you doing little lady?” you ask as you slip a protective arm around her.

“Charlie loves you!” she grins happily, “is he my new daddy?”

“Wait a minute… back it up!” you laugh, “how do you know he loves me?”

“He said so!”

“Right...”

“So is he my new daddy?” she asks with pleading eyes.

“Evie,” you sigh, brushing her hair back from her face and squeezing her tightly, “your daddy will always be David, but sometimes people are lucky enough to have another daddy figure in their life; like your real daddy but a bit different.”

“Am I lucky?”

“Of course you are! You’ve got Auntie Sarah and Uncle John, and your best friend Betty!”

“Yeah,” she she exhales contentedly, “but I’d like Charlie as my other daddy.”

“Well, we’ll see what happens… Anyway, I thought you were meant to be making me a cake?!”

She gasps before jumping off the bed and running straight into Sarah who is now standing in the doorway, and she picks her up with a smile before taking her downstairs to begin the baking.

Charlie and John sit opposite one another at the station, looking from the board of suspects to their computer screens anxiously; awaiting the results of fingerprints found on the gas cannisters and tubing to see if there was a match. John was quiet, too quiet, and Charlie knew this was a bad sign as he was usually full of witty remarks and thoughts on the case.

“Do you want a drink Sir?” Charlie asks, finally plucking up the courage to speak.

“No… no I’m fine…” he sighs.

Charlie rises from his seat and slips his jacket on to head down to the canteen, but just as he steps out into the hallway an email comes through and John quickly opens it up to see the results from the forensics team.

“Nelson!” he calls out, “we’ve got a match!”


	10. Chapter 10

“Well that was unexpected,” John frowns as he looks over the photograph of the man on the screen, “do you think you could find out some more information on him?”

“I’ve got a couple of friends who are still in the Met, I’ll give them a ring now,” Nelson nods, heading back around to his side of the desk and picking up the phone straight away.

John watches Charlie intently as he speaks over the phone to his former colleague, his eyes narrowed at the DS as he tries to make out what’s happening in the conversation, and he leans over the desk as Nelson scribbles down notes furiously onto a notepad. He attempts to read the scrawls that cover the paper, taking no notice of the lines on the page, but is unable to thanks to the quickness of Charlie’s hand and the mess of his handwriting in such a haste to get the details down of what he’s being told.

“Okay, brilliant, thanks for that, bye,” Charlie lifts his head to look at John with a smile, “we’ve got him. He moved to Midsomer Wellow only three months ago, he has a sister by the name of Maria and this is where it gets interesting… she was married to an Adam Carter, the very same Adam Carter that works at Causton Comprehensive. Has previous for theft.”

“So this Kevin Marsden is Adam’s ex wife’s brother?” John clarifies with a slightly bemused look upon his face, “so why did he lock (Y/N) in the cupboard and try to gas her? And what was he doing at the school in the first place?”

“He could have been looking for Adam maybe,” Charlie thinks aloud, “and then panicked when he saw (Y/N) there instead?”

“Hmm,” he frowns, “let’s see if we can get the truth from the man himself shall we?”

“Oh it’d be my pleasure Sir,” Nelson says as he grabs his coat from the back of the chair.

The drive is unusually quiet for the two men; Charlie concentrates on getting to their destination in the quickest time possible while John’s gaze stays fixed to the file in his lap as he tries to connect the dots to every piece of information he knows so far. Why would someone seemingly so disconnected from everything suddenly try and interfere when the divorce had already been settled? How could someone mistake you for a man you didn’t resemble in any way, shape, or form? John’s brow furrows deeply as he flicks from page to page, making the odd note here and there when Charlie’s driving was steady enough, and Nelson almost forces the pen out of his hand when he has to make an emergency stop as he sees the suspect running down the path after seeing the blue flashing lights heading his way.

“Nelson!” John scolds, but he soon realises why it was necessary, “get him!”

John hops out of the car just in time to see Nelson sprinting after the man, his jacket wafting behind him as he jumps up and over a fence for a short cut to the suspect’s path. There’s a scuffle as he reaches out and pushes the man to the ground as he lands awkwardly next to him, but Nelson soon gains the upper hand when he rolls Kevin onto his front and grabs a hold of his hands to cuff at his back.

“Kevin Marsden, I’m arresting you on suspicion of assault...” Charlie reads him his rights as he pulls him to his feet while John looks on and gives him an encouraging nod.

“Well done Nelson,” he says when the two men get back to the car and Kevin is squeezed into the back.

“Sir,” Charlie nods.

After being booked in at the station he’s lead to an interview room where he’s made to wait while John and Charlie keep an eye on him through the door, waiting for Kevin to start sweating about what’s happening and hoping that he’s put in the mood to talk.

“What do you think? He hasn’t said a word apart from confirming his details,” Charlie whispers as they watch him through the small window.

John takes a deep breath, “at this point I’m not entirely sure, but there’s no way he’s getting out of what he did to (Y/N), that’s for sure. We’ve got him on that one. We’ll just have to see if he’s willing to explain why he did it. I’ll take the lead on this one, try not to make him too uncomfortable with that stare of yours Nelson.”

“I promise nothing Sir.”

John opens the door suddenly to make Kevin jump, then the two men settle in their seats opposite him as the paperwork is carefully placed on the table and slowly organised so that both Charlie and John can see what they need to in order of questioning.

“Kevin Marsden...” John begins, first looking him in the eye then averting his gaze to the papers in front of him, “brother of Maria Marsden, correct?”

Kevin nods, “yeah,” he croaks nervously.

“The same Maria Marsden that was once married to Adam Carter?”

“Mhmm,” he agrees, his finger tips tapping on the table lightly.

“So, were you visiting Adam at Causton Comprehensive last Monday?”

“Never been there,” he shrugs.

“Never?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So you’ve never seen these items before?” John asks, sliding two photographs across the table; one of the rubber tubing that was pushed through the vent and one of a gas cannister lying on the floor outside the cupboard.

Kevin’s eyes flick down to the pictures then before bouncing straight back up again and looking everywhere but at the two men in front of him, “nope, never.”

Charlie scoffs, desperately wanting to say something, but he thinks better of it as John then asks his next question, “would you care to explain how your fingerprints were found on these items left inside Adam’s classroom at Causton Comprehensive then?”

“No idea,” he shrugs.

“Oh come on!” Nelson says exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air, “they didn’t exactly get there by themselves did they? It would be better for all of us if you just tell us the truth now. We have your _fingerprints_ , they’re hard to fake. If you don’t tell us what happened then we’ll have to bring in your sister Maria to see if she knows anything...”

“No! No, don’t involve her, this has got nothing to do with her, I swear. She doesn’t know anything about this,” he babbles nervously.

John nods, impressed with Nelson’s technique, “okay then, all you need to do is tell us exactly what happened, and how this situation went from a body being found in school grounds to an innocent woman ending up in hospital.”

Kevin sighs as he leans his elbows on the table and crosses his arms in front of him while he looks between John and Charlie who are awaiting his reply.

“You have to believe me when I say this has nothing to do with Maria. She doesn’t even know I’m here, she thinks I’ve gone abroad. I promised not to do anything when she told me about what had happened… but she’s my sister, I couldn’t let him go unpunished.”

“Let who go unpunished?” Barnaby asks.

“Adam.”

“What did he need punishing for?” Nelson adds.

“The abuse he put her through; the mental and physical abuse that caused her to seek a divorce and escape back to out parent’s house for fear of her life. I helped her get out of there, and I swore that I’d get him back for what he did to her. It was meant to be the perfect crime; disposing of his house mate and framing him for the whole thing.”

“But things didn’t go to plan did they?” John continues.

“No,” Kevin exhales, now lifting his hands from his arms and rubbing his face, “they didn’t. I didn’t think he’d have a breakdown over it all so easily, although it does go to show that he’s really just a pathetic little coward underneath it all. I knew he wouldn’t have an alibi for the night I took care of Luke, but it was meant to be him in that classroom when I was there, not the woman. I panicked, she would have seen me if she turned around so I locked her in. Everything was set up for Adam, not her, but then I couldn’t risk her breaking that door open so I had to feed in the gas, just to knock her out though that’s all, it wasn’t to hurt her.”

“So you were out to harm Adam?”

“Yes! I knew it had gone wrong when Adam started to go off the rails, I was going to plant evidence in the classroom, in his house, but his movements became so erratic I never had the chance, so I just thought why not bump him off too? The world would be a better place without him, my sister wouldn’t have to live in fear; I don’t know, it just all spiralled out of control,” Kevin explains as a quiet sob jolts his body after the last few words.

“Do you know if Maria has had any contact with Adam recently? He mentioned that she had,” Charlie questions, remembering what you had said about his outburst.

“Never, she would never do that in case he found out where she was,” he frowns, “why would he say that?”

“We have yet to find out. For now, we will be charging you with the murder of Luke Clemmon and the assault of (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” John states as he gathers up the papers, “you will be escorted to a cell now.”

The two men leave the room and Charlie quickly gets to his desk so he can collapse into his chair with a long sigh, “well I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Nor me, but we need to speak to Adam again, find out why he lied about Maria getting in touch.”

“Mhmm,” Charlie agrees, his mind wandering to you.

“Why don’t you go and check on (Y/N)? I’ll send some officers to pick up Adam,” John suggests, seeing the vacant look in Nelson’s eyes.

“Yes Sir, I’ll be back soon,” he nods, jumping at the chance to see how you were doing.

It doesn’t take him long to get to Sarah’s and she spots him pulling into the driveway so he doesn’t even have to knock when he gets to the door.

“Can’t keep you away can we?” she chuckles as he steps inside.

“We’ve had an interesting afternoon and I needed a break so why not visit my favourite people?” he smiles.

“I think she’s still asleep upstairs, but you could do me a favour and take her a fresh glass of water if you like?”

Charlie nods enthusiastically as Evie comes running towards him on her unsteady feet, rushing past Sarah with her arms outstretched until she can rap them around one of his long legs, “Charlie! Mummy’s still in bed. She’s very tired. Do you love mummy? Can you be my new daddy?”

“Evelyn!” Sarah laughs nervously as she peels the little one away from Charlie, “I think someone’s had a bit too much chocolate cake! Why don’t you and Betty see if Sykes wants to walk around the garden?”

“Okay!” she grins excitedly.

Sarah hands the glass of water to the stunned man then turns on her heels to check on the girls as Charlie ascends the stairs quietly, trying to wrap his head around the barrage of questions that had just been hurtled at him. He gently curls his fingers around the edge of the door before pushing it open ever so slightly until he can see your now peaceful face resting upon the soft pillow. You looked much more comfortable than before and his mouth turns up into a hint of a smile at the sight of your calm features. He places the glass down on the bedside table then perches himself right on the edge of the bed next to you, reaching his hand out and brushing the hair back from your face gently so he can admire the woman he’d fallen so deeply for.


	11. Chapter 11

“Oh… hey,” you smile sleepily; waking at the tender touch of his hand, “are you alright?”

He smiles softly, “I’m fine. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” you nod, breaking out into a yawn at the end of the word, “where’s Evie?”

“She’s downstairs, hyper on chocolate cake and playing with Betty,” he pauses before he chuckles lightly when he remembers the slew of questions aimed at him when he entered the house, “she, uh, she gave me a quick interrogation when I came in just now… she may be small but my goodness is she powerful. Made a grown man shake in his shoes!”

“Oh god,” you sigh as you cover your eyes with your palms, “what did she say?”

“Well, she started off with ‘do you love mummy?’ then finished off with ‘can you be my new daddy?’ I mean, I’ve got to give it to her, she knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to ask for it!”

“Oh _god_ ,” you groan, “I didn’t think she’d ask you _that_!”

“It’s okay,” he laughs, “honestly, it was interesting to be on the other side of an interrogation for once!”

“I’m _so_ sorry. She spoke bout this the other day; asking if you’d be her other daddy. I never thought she’d actually ask you outright. I’ll have a word with her,” you sigh.

“Seriously, it’s fine,” he insists, “it’s quite an inviting prospect, I can’t lie. She’s a great kid.”

You slip your hands away from your eyes to take a look at him and you sit up against the headboard as his words sink in, “Charlie… I…”

“Mummy!” Evie interrupts as she bursts into the room, “are you feeling better? Is Charlie staying? Do you love him? I love him.”

“Wow!” you laugh, “you _are_ hyper!”

She jumps up onto the bed between you and Charlie then lays her head on your lap while she sticks her feet out to rest on Charlie’s thighs, “can we go home? Can Charlie come? Sleepover?”

You stroke the hair back from her upside down face and wobble her little cheeks to make her laugh, “someone needs to have a nap because they’re talking crazy!” you chuckle, “and these cheeks are crazy cute, I could just eat them all up.”

Evelyn laughs loudly as you bend over and nibble at her face playfully as you make chomping noises, and Charlie can only sit there in a captivated trance at watching the two of you interacting. He finds himself unable to wipe the smile from his face as you continue to make Evie laugh so innocently despite everything that had happened during her so far short life, and though it wasn’t his place to do so right now, he wished that he could gather the two of you in his arms in a loving embrace. You look up at Charlie for a moment and notice the wistful look in his eyes, then drag Evie up onto your lap for her to calm down before you speak.

“Right Missy, I need you to go downstairs and tell Sarah that mummy will be down for some cake, okay?” you ask her once she’s wiped the happy tears from her face.

“Okay,” she nods fervently before sliding off the side off the bed and disappearing.

“So… you sure you wanna deal with that everyday?” you smirk.

“Never been more sure in my life.”

“And are you sure you wanna deal with this everyday?” you ask, pointing to yourself and your slightly dishevelled appearance.

“Well, it’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it, eh?” he winks, shuffling closer to you until he can lean forwards and kiss your waiting lips.

It’s the sort of kiss that told you everything you needed to know; it’s deep yet delicate, it’s passionate yet soft, and it ignites a fire that you thought could never be reignited after David had passed. Charlie’s hands cup your face in both a firm and gentle manner while your hands slide up the front of his shirt until you can clasp them together at the nape of his neck and slowly pull him down as you sink into the bed. The sound of his phone ringing makes him groan into your mouth and you laugh at his extremely unimpressed expression when he finally pulls away after peppering your lips with at least five more kisses.

“Sir,” he almost whines, “of course, I’m on my way now.”

“See you later,” you smile with a comforting stroke of his stubble scattered jawline.

“Already looking forward to it,” he replies excitedly, kissing you twice more before he can peel himself away from you completely.

You hear Charlie hopping quickly down the stairs only to be stopped by one nosey little girl who asks him where he’s going, and you roll your eyes at her never ending campaign to get him to stay over for a sleepover which of course would include hot chocolate and night kisses.

“Evie!” you call out, carefully getting out of bed, “stop harassing the policeman… it’s an arrestable offence!”

“A best of all oppence?” she frowns, turning her attention to the top of the stairs where you hold onto the wall for stability.

Both you and Charlie let out a laugh at her misunderstanding, “yes darling, a best of all oppence… now can you go and tell Sarah mummy needs her please?”

She runs off into the lounge and you mouth ‘run’ down to the Charlie as he gets to open the front door at last, and both her and Sarah appear once he’s safely outside. Sarah comes up to help you down the stairs; you were still feeling a little groggy and didn’t feel brave enough to tackle the stairs on your own just in case you went flying down them. When you’re safely resting on the sofa with a soothing cup of tea and the girls’ favourite film on the television Sarah comes to sit next to you to see how you are, and you rest your head on her shoulder with a contented sigh.

-

“Nelson, here,” Barnaby says, thrusting a file at Charlie as soon as he’s close enough, “Adam’s in interview room one… would you like to take the lead on this one?”

“It would be my absolute pleasure Sir.”

The two men enter the interview room, begin the recording, then Charlie shuffles his papers before letting out a long sigh and staring Adam straight in the eyes.

“Adam Carter… ex husband of a Maria Marsden; is that correct?” Charlie begins.

“Pfft,” he scoffs, “yeah.”

“When was the last time you had contact with Maria?”

Adam shrugs, “just after the divorce I guess.”

“Anything more recently?”

“No.”

“Are you quite sure about that? You see, we have a witness statement saying that you informed them of some form of contact between you and Maria; with her being the one to instigate it…”

“Uh…”

“Luckily though, we did some digging and found this,” Nelson twirls a piece of paper around on the desk to face Adam and slides it towards him, “this is a non-molestation order made against you by Maria two months after your divorce which prevents you from using or threatening violence, or intimidating and pestering her. So if you _have_ been in contact with her, then we will need to-”

“I haven’t,” he snaps, “it was a lie. I lied, okay?!”

“Why would you lie about something that could possibly get you into so much trouble?” Charlie frowns as John narrows his eyes at Adam.

“Because,” he sighs with another nonchalant shrug.

“Because?”

“Because I was trying to get the sympathy vote.”

Charlie tenses up as he realises it was a ploy to make Adam appear vulnerable to you; to trick you in to comforting him, soothing him… and that would have been when he pounced, when he tried to take advantage of you because he was playing the victim. The thought of it all made him shudder violently in his seat, and he has to take a moment to shake the intrusive images of what could have played out from his mind.

“So you were planning on using this story to deceive a person into… what? What was the plan there?”

Adam smirks, “you know exactly what.”

“I think we’ve got everything we need,” Barnaby states, “Mr. Carter, you’re free to go.”

As soon as Adam has disappeared down the corridor Charlie allows one single bang of his fist on the desk before gathering up his papers and slipping them neatly back into the folder.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself Nelson,” John nods at the short outlet of rage.

“He can’t keep working at the school after this, can he?” Charlie asks as the two men make their way out of the interview room and back to their desks.

“I’m sure the head will want to keep this quiet,” he smiles, “and nip the problem in the bud, so to speak.”

Nelson smiles and gives John an understanding and thankful nod.

“How as (Y/N) earlier by the way?”

“Better,” Charlie sighs with relief, “more rested, that’s for sure.”

“Good to hear. She’s like a daughter to me, you know. She’s been through a lot for someone her age, and both myself and Sarah care very deeply for her…” John affirms, “we’ve seen her at her lowest point and now we appear to be seeing her as we never thought we would again… happy.”

Charlie realises as the two men sit down at their desks, that this is a thinly veiled warning to him that if he were to do anything to (Y/N) that would hurt her, there would be grave consequences in store, and all he can do in response to John is nod silently.

“Do not fuck this up Nelson,” he finishes bluntly.

“You have my word that I will not mess it up Sir.”

“Right. Good. Well, I’m glad we could sort that out then,” John smiles, raising his eyebrows at the DS, “why don’t you get us a drink to help get through this paperwork?”

“On it Sir!”

-

“(Y/N”, Sarah whispers, “(Y/N), wake up sweetie, the boys are back.”

A deep frown creases your brow as you come to after an unusually deep nap, and you manage to sit upright on the sofa with a confused expression just as John and Charlie enter the house.

“What’s the time?” you yawn, noticing the lack of children around.

“Just gone seven,” Sarah smiles, “you’ve been out for hours!”

“Oh my god, is Evie alright?”

“She’s fine; her and Betty are having a best friend’s sleepover in Betty’s room tonight, and they’re already fast asleep.”

“Thank you,” you sigh, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t awake for anything.”

“Don’t you worry, you need your rest after what happened, and they wanted dinner in the garden tonight anyway so they could have Sykes sit with them,” she chuckles, “so luckily we weren’t going to wake you.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you Sarah.”

“Nor do I, I’d be lost without her,” John adds with a grin, “now why don’t I help you with dinner my darling?”

“Right, what’s happened?” Sarah asks suspiciously, “you’re in too good of a mood!”

John and Sarah disappear off into the kitchen and Charlie takes a seat next to you on the couch after taking off his shoes and coat in the hallway. He gives you a reassuring smile before reaching out for your hand and squeezing it comfortingly as you sit there still wondering where your entire day went so quickly. Once the fog lifts from your head you stand up and let Charlie know you were just going to check on the girls, then you ascend the stairs slowly and tiptoe to Betty’s room where the glow of her night light seeps out onto the landing. You push the door ajar gently to find the girls snuggled up in bed together with stuffed animals surrounding them and a book laying on the duvet as if they’d just finished story time; it was a heart warming sight to see and you know that moments like these had to be cherished what with how quickly the two of them seemed to be growing up. After a couple of minutes you eventually retreat back downstairs to find John, Sarah, and Charlie standing together in the kitchen, and in that moment you felt as if you’d finally found the family you were meant to have all along. As you walk up to Charlie and his waiting loving embrace, you realise that Midsomer had given you everything you ever wanted, and that moving here was an extraordinarily lucky twist of fate.


End file.
